Dockers power

[David Allan]

Does anyone remember just how powerful the Dockers Union was I remember being held to ransom by Dockers and ships being diverted to various European ports because of Dock Strikes
There was a tale of ships leaving their funnels behind on the Manchester Ship Canal (I dont know how true it was ) but I remember having to Box up various pumps generators and bits of kit as we had heard the lock keepers were going out in sympathy with the Dockers we were stuck in Vigo for about 6 weeks until they decided to go back to work when the weather was changing and they would be rained off little did they know that containerisation was on the horizon and they would all be without a job although they were extremely well paid to hand in their tickets I wonder how many of the militants knew what the future held

[James Curry]

Dockers!!! I will always remember on a Blue flu's Autolycus loading in Vitoria dock. A very slow load indeed, we were on for Christmas in dock. Guy turns up Christmas eve morning . Talk about springing into action. Never seen dockers graft like that before. Let go and away to sea for the far east bang on pub opening time in those days pubs closed at 3 pm and opened at 5 pm. I reckon money changed hands, a bit of a christmas bonus no doubt.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi David.
I can't remember a time that any ship I was on was held up by Dockers, mind you I may have been lucky, or unlucky for a few more days in port depends on ones view, but I ws on a Hain's boat the Trevose and we had to lift out funnel off onto the bank going up the Manchester ship canal, there were bout five others on the bank, we also had to lower the topmast.
Cheers Des
Ps that was around 1950

[j.sabourn]

Hope you picked up the right funnel on the way out Des, you know what they say about a wolf in sheep’s clothing. JS

[John Cassels]

Don't remember any in the UK but spent a very pleasant 6 weeks in Baltimore 1970 due to a longshoreman's strike.

[James Curry]

Liverpool dockers were notorious for going on strike at the drop of a hat.
The dockers had the power to stop P&O doing what they did to the sea staff 2 years ago. All they needed to do was refuse to handle the ships. So much for solidarity brothers.

[John Arton]

David
Entering the canal, after clearing the locks at Eastham, the first berths you pass on the starboard side arre the east and west floats berths where chemicals can be loaded at the west float with the east float is used as a waiting berth for outbound vessels waiting for inbound traffic to clear the big lock.
Next berth is the crane berth where there was a crane that was used solely for the purpose of taking off the tops of ships funnels in order to allow them to pass under the bridges further up the canal. Upstream and downstream of each road and rail bridge across the canal a trip wire was stretched across the canal at a foot or so below the bridge clearance height, if any part of the ships structure struck the wire an alarm would sound and you were required to stop your passage in order to reduce your air draft or wait until the water level in the canal lowered. The depth of water in the canal could rise by a number of feet if heavy prolonged rain had caused more water to flow into the canal from the Mersey or the weaver or if a n exceptional high spring tides had overflowed the lock gates at eastham and flowed into the canal.in places along the canal there are sluice gates to allow excess water to flow out and back into the Mersey, the course of which follows the canal as far as Runcorn docks.
Rgds
J.A

[Ivan Cloherty]

The Power of Dockers!! Now Glasgow dockers are the best at that, they can empty the case of whisky you are sitting on whilst tallying the hundreds of cases being loaded into secure lockers in the tweendecks, all with tin mugs hanging from their belts for when they are thirsty and accidentally drop a case on its corner and the nectar is sieved through the carboard packing---- happy days!!

[John Arton]

We were loading cases of beer in victoria docks on the beaverfir and as cadet it was job to tally them. In the hold there was always one case less than came off the truck bringing the beer from the brewery. After a time watching me dashing from the dockside to the cargo hatch counting the crates on each sling and always coming up one less between shore and ship the crane driver whistled to me and indicated that I should watch him. The next lift he hoisted the load up and luffed up the jib prior to swinging around to plumb over the ship but instead of slewing towards the ship he slewed away from the ship, luffed the load right up towards the drivers cabin, reached. Out and took off a case of beer and stowed it in the cabin.
Over the shift he must hae taken enough cases to keep the whole gabng in beer for a week.
Rgds
J.A

[Peter Drake]

The Australian dockers were the Kings. I can't remember the port but we were loading grain and the dockers were entitled to a pint of milk mid shift to was the dust down. The milkman didn't turn up so the stopped working. The mate offered them water or beer but no go until the milkman finally turned up just before knocking off time.